Information System:-
The largest growth in most economies is coming from 'information' industries. The success of such knowledge-based organisations lies in their information systems. Also, forced by technological change and globalisation of markets, many manufacturing industries are also placing increasing emphasis upon information systems. Information systems are more than just computer programs. Though information and communications technologies are playing an increasing role in meeting organisations’ information needs, an information system is a much more general concept. It refers to the wider systems of people, data and activities, both computer-based and manual, that effectively gather, process, store and disseminate organisations’ information.
What can you get from an Information Systems course?
The value of the information systems professional stems from a breadth of knowledge and skills. Requirements of an information system are to do with the people and organizations that the system must serve, as well as IT capabilities. Consequently, the field is a multidisciplinary one, which requires specialist knowledge of the computer world, the world of organisations and people for whom the system must process information, and the professional skills and knowledge to make the former work for the latter. Not least, the information systems professional will have communication and interpersonal skills, for example, needed to elicit those requirements and communicate analyses and designs to decision makers.
A graduate from an information system programme will have studied each of these aspects to acquire theoretical and practical knowledge which they will be able to apply confidently in organizations of all kinds. Reflecting the multidisciplinarity of the field, Information Systems degree programmes offer a carefully chosen mix of social, management and technical aspects, such as: information systems within the contexts of organisations, management and the information society; computing knowledge and skills in programming, computer architectures and networks; techniques for information systems analysis and design, including database design methods, and related professional and legal knowledge.
After completing, graduates may go on to take up a specialist information systems management positions - such as information systems manager, IT manager, corporate IT administrator or information systems consultant, to name but a few possibilities - but more broadly you will gain a solid foundation for taking up a variety of work roles in this rapidly changing society.
Definition:-
Pronounced as separate letters, and short for Information Systems or Information Services. For many companies, IS is the name of the department responsible for computers, networking and data management. Other companies refer to the department as IT (Information Technology) and MIS (Management Information Services).
Type of Information System:-
The main kinds of information systems in business
1-Executive Support Systems
An Executive Support System ("ESS") is designed to help senior management make strategic decisions. It gathers, analyses and summarises the key internal and external information used in the business.
A good way to think about an ESS is to imagine the senior management team in an aircraft cockpit - with the instrument panel showing them the status of all the key business activities. ESS typically involve lots of data analysis and modelling tools such as "what-if" analysis to help strategic decision-making.
2- Management Information Systems
A management information system ("MIS") is mainly concerned with internal sources of information. MIS usually take data from the transaction processing systems (see below) and summarise it into a series of management reports.
MIS reports tend to be used by middle management and operational supervisors.
3- Decision-Support Systems:-
Decision-support systems ("DSS") are specifically designed to help management make decisions in situations where there is uncertainty about the possible outcomes of those decisions. DSS comprise tools and techniques to help gather relevant information and analyse the options and alternatives. DSS often involves use of complex spreadsheet and databases to create "what-if" models.
4- Transaction Processing Systems
As the name implies, Transaction Processing Systems ("TPS") are designed to process routine transactions efficiently and accurately. A business will have several (sometimes many) TPS; for example:
- Billing systems to send invoices to customers- Systems to calculate the weekly and monthly payroll and tax payments
- Production and purchasing systems to calculate raw material requirements
- Stock control systems to process all movements into, within and out of the business
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